Neutral Bay restaurant Enopizzeria closing down

Neutral Bay's rash of restaurant closures and its push to the mid-market continues, with Enopizzeria closing its doors next Sunday.

"What Neutral Bay is telling us is people are tight for money, they're on a budget. People are wealthy around here but they've got mortgages and private school fees to pay," says Enopizzeria owner Mauro Marcucci.

But it isn't the end for the venue. Marcucci will reopen with a new concept in May after a refit as part of a joint venture with the fast growing Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group with a new concept.

"It's going to be more affordable. We are still going to do pizza and pasta, but there'll be Italian street food, spit roasts like the food trucks in Rome. It'll have more of a canteen feel, you'll order at the bar."

Despite the exodus of venues in the precinct, Marcucci believes it is symptomatic of a wider trend toward the casual market: "The rest of the world feels the same way. "